2008 Woodie Awards
Men's soccer beats Huskies
Team holds first place in PSAC West with win
By Travis Pickens
Issue date: 10/7/05 Section: Sports
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A goal in the 100th minute from defenseman Chris Byers helped the Rock pull out a 2-1 win over Bloomsburg (4-6-0 PSAC, 5-7-0 overall) on Wednesday to sweep the season series from the Huskies.
SRU took an early lead, but surrendered a goal in the 83rd minute to end goalkeeper Chris Cook's home shutout streak at 267 minutes. The goal also ended Cook's overall shutout streak at 361 minutes. Prior to Wednesday's match, Cook delivered shutouts in three straight matches.
"We were disappointed we conceded a goal so late, but (Bloomsburg) deserved it," coach Matt Thompson said. "We aren't going to keep a (shutout) in every game."
With the win, the Rock (6-3-1, 7-5-1) remains in first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), with 19 points. East Stroudsburg and the California Vulcans are tied for second place with 18 points.
"We didn't deserve to win the game today, we played poorly," Thompson said. "We looked tired. But there were many times in the past where we were 2-16-2 and we deserved to win games and we didn't. Sometimes you make your own luck. We'll take it today."
The Rock jumped on top early in the game thanks to Gary Saunders showing up in the right place at the right time. Justin Hollm sent a cross to Nick Christy, who shot the ball off the left post. Saunders was standing in the middle of the penalty area to get the ricochet, and put the ball into the net with a header. This season, Saunders leads the team with six goals.
"Good teams win when they're playing poorly," Saunders said. "We're still at the top of the conference tonight."
Revenge was paid in full last Sunday as the Rock knocked No. 24 East Stroudsburg from atop the PSAC standings with its dramatic 1-0 win in overtime.
Saunders tallied the only goal of the match in the 94th minute. Hollm picked up the assist. The win came less than a month after the Warriors (6-4-0, 8-4-1) pounded SRU on James W. Egli Field, 4-0.
"The whole team played absolutely fantastic," Saunders said. "We definitely set ourselves a standard for the rest of the season. I think if we play like we played against Stroudsburg for the rest of the games, we should win all of them."
Thompson said conditioning was key.
"The win away against ESU was unbelievable," Thompson said. "It gave us a lift. Our fitness during preseason is coming through now."
The road to the playoffs doesn't get any easier as SRU travels to Lock Haven tomorrow. The Bald Eagles are currently No. 4 in the NSCAA/Adidas Northeast rankings. The Rock returns home Tuesday to meet West Chester. Both games kick off at 1 p.m.
"We do need to recover a little bit and get ready for Lock Haven, which will be a huge battle," Thompson said. "It's a big regional game. Top three in the region make the regional (playoffs). Our goal is to make the playoffs, and anything more than that is gravy. It could come down to us and Lock Haven, if both teams continue to play well, so it's a big game away from home. Whether it's a win or a draw, we want to get something out of it."
